By Shanu Vashishtha
Edited by Anandita Malhotra, Senior Editor, The Indian Economist
The Entrance exam results are out and the admission season is going on in full swing. Some would have already made up their mind regarding which college or university they wish to continue their studies in while others would be busy finalizing their decision based on the various options laid out for them. Out of the available options, one of them is to drop a year and prepare for the same examination the following year; this piece is written to elaborate this option further.
One can always argue that since one has already appeared for the examinations in the previous year, one’s chances of performing better in the upcoming year increases because of the previously gained experience. Having been through the process, one is acclimatized to the pressure and can arm oneself in a better way to tackle it. Also, a student appearing for the first time in these examinations needs to balance both his preparation or the board examination as well as the competitive one. The person opting for preparing again will be under no such pressure.
The problem arises when one actually decides to take this route. Although, the goal looks attainable, one constantly underestimates the effort one has to put in to continue. Suddenly, there lies one complete year in front of you and a syllabus which you have already skimmed through previously. It is this wrong analysis which leads to one’s downfall. The initial level of motivation and the desire to prove one’s mettle paves way for a lack of sincerity and the on-set of a careless attitude. And once the cold hands of procrastination catch hold of you – the occasional movies, hanging out, missing classes make you lose your hours, then days, then months and finally the year. Suddenly, in the eleventh hour you wake up to realize the time lost and try as hard as you may, you aren’t able to perform to your potential.
In the end, there are many factors that one needs to analyze before taking a decision suited best for oneself. Someone may find an extra year an insufficient duration to improve upon ones mistakes. For some, it may be all that is required to polish one’s skills. For some, the long term goal might be more important and they would want to stay focused in that direction. For others with fluid long term goals, getting into reputed institutes may seem more desirable. Still others may simply find the idea of repeating the same syllabus uninteresting. Whatever the reason, do realize that your decision will be yours and unique to you – different from what your friends and relatives might think. The best way to go about this is to analyze one’s self and coming to the final conclusion by weighing the pros and cons of all the sides. Once it is decided, the hard task begins and the effort needs to be put in right from the next day, if not the next minute.
Shanu Vashishtha is a third year undergraduate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Kanpur. He has been born and brought up in Patna. He loves reading about current affairs and is actively involved in contributing written prose in any form. He aspires to bring about a change in the society through his writings by reaching out to the masses. He has a desire to explore the various adventure sports in his lifetime.